As the Holiday season approaches,
and snow starts to fall, honey bees embrace their Holiday by taking a break
from collecting pollen and nectar from flowers. In the chilly weather, they
choose to stay inside their hive and focus on two essential tasks: keeping warm
and conserving energy. This way they will be strong and energized to visit
flowers in spring time.
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| Honey bee hives during winter. |
As we cozy up indoors with a
fireplace or heater creating warmth during the winter, honey bees have to create
their own heat to survive. By huddling together in a cluster, they generate
heat through the vibration of their wing muscles. This clustering technique
helps them maintain a cozy temperature inside the hive.
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| Honey bees clustering to keep warm. |
During wintertime, honey bees rely
on the honey reserves they had carefully stored within their hive weeks earlier
before it got too cold to fly. It serves as their nourishment and ensures they
have enough energy when the warmer days of spring arrive. While staying warm, all
the honey bees, including the worker bees, are resting to conserve energy.
After almost a year of their busy activities, the honey bees take a well-deserved
“stay-cation” in preparation for the upcoming spring season.
